‘Dancing With the Stars’ Recap: Who Was Eliminated on Super Bowl Night?
What To Know
- Eleven pairs danced to songs by past Super Bowl Halftime Show performers on the October 13 episode of Dancing With the Stars.
- Joe Buck stepped in as a guest judge alongside Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli, giving the stars a maximum of 40 possible points.
- At the end of the night, the scores were combined with viewer votes and one couple was eliminated.
The battle for the Mirrorball trophy continued on the October 13 episode of Dancing With the Stars. With 11 pairs remaining in the competition, the couples hit the dance floor to songs by previous Super Bowl Halftime Show performers for Super Bowl Night.
ESPN’s Joe Buck joined Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli as a guest judge, so the scores this week were out of 40 total points. Throughout the episode, viewers voted for their favorite celebs, and the couple with the lowest combined scores and viewer votes was sent home at the end of the night.
Scroll down to find out how all the couples performed and to see who was eliminated.
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas — 33/40
After receiving the first 9 of the season last week, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas returned to the dance floor with a tango to “Only Girl (In the World)” by Rihanna. Higgins dealt with a neck injury in rehearsals, but had to fight through it for the live show.
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Despite not knowing much about the technical side of dance, Buck noted that even he could see how incredible Higgins’ posture was. Tonioli said the dance was “thrilling from start to finish” and told Higgins and Ballas they make dancing “look easy,” which is hard to do.
Inaba called it a “beautiful performance,” but admitted, “Some of the movements could be more punctuated in this dance.” Hough agreed with Inaba and urged Higgins to have more “attack, energy, [and] fire” in some of the dances moving forwards. Buck gave Higgins a 9, while the other three judges scored the dance with 8s, giving her a final score of 33/40.
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater — 31/40
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater performed a salsa to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. It was a very busy week for Olson, as he also played in the Banana Bowl ahead of Tuesday’s live show, and he wanted to keep up his momentum from last week’s dance when he returned to the ballroom.
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Tonioli assured Olson that his performance has improved “incredibly,” but also let him know what he still needs to work on to be less “jagged” when he dances. Inaba raved over how Olson’s “confidence has kicked in,” but also told him he needs to “fine tune a few things.”
Hough said this was Olson’s best dance of the season so far with “lots of content.” While Tonioli scored the dance a 7, all three other judges gave him his first 8s of the season, for a total score of 31/40.
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov — 34/40
After falling on the leaderboard a bit last week, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov came into Super Bowl Night wanting to get back on top. They danced a samba to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William.
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“What is it the kids say? You ATE that samba, girl!” Inaba raved. “That was amazing.” She also told Glenn that she “brought that Super Bowl Halftime Show energy to life.”
Hough noted that Glenn was “confident and fierce” right out of the gate. After asking his wife permission, Buck told Glenn that her performance was “hot.” Finally, Tonioli said, “In it, on it, like a car bonnet. What I’m starting to see now is variety of interpretation. Usually she goes like a hammer on everything. This time, you’re playing it. That’s what you have to do in every dance.”
From Hough and Buck, Glenn earned her first 9s of the season, along with 8s from Inaba and Tonioli, for a total of 34/40.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess — 30/40
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess were up next with a jazz to “The Time (Dirty Bit)” by Black Eyed Peas. Hough applauded Cameron for the “commitment” to the dance. “You’re so fun to watch,” he added. While he said there were “some things there” to work on, he praised Burgess and Cameron’s partnership.
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“I can really tell you listen to everything we said. Your timing was so much better,” Tonioli confirmed. “Your lines. You were giving Gene Kelly there. I really appreciate how much work you put into this. It shows.”
Inaba called the dance “exciting” and said she “loved the lifts” Cameron and Burgess did. “The way you lifted her with so much ease, and the way you set her down with so much grace,” she gushed. “You’re not just learning the steps anymore, you’re becoming a dancer.” Inaba and Buck gave Cameron 8s, while Hough and Tonioli scored him 7s, for a total of 30/40.
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold — 25/40
Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold were tasked with dancing a samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira. Since they were towards the bottom of the leaderboard last week, Wood really needed to lock in.
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Tonioli said Wood and Arnold’s connection was great, but admitted that the dance had a number of sins. “At times you were slightly behind,” he admitted, while also pointing out some of the other issues. “There is work to do.”
Inaba said the dance was “fun” and applauded Arnold for putting in a lot of content, but told Wood “there was no bounce action” and that the “timing was off” at times. “This wasn’t your best,” she added. Hough confirmed that the energy from Wood is a 10 and praised his commitment, but told him he has to “keep working on it” moving forward.
Buck gave Wood a 7, but the other three judges scored him 6s, adding up to a total of 25/40.
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa — 33/40
The next dance was a jazz by Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa to “Jenny From the Block” by Jennifer Lopez. They threw in moves from Stiles’ movie Save the Last Dance, even with the risk that it could “break some rules” in front of the judges.
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Luckily, the judges loved it, and there was even a cameo from her Save the Last Dance costar Sean Patrick Thomas.
“Dancing to the groove brilliantly! I didn’t know how good you were at hip-hop. That’s another hidden talent,” Tonioli gushed. “Not just the dancing, but the interpretation, the way you played the character … your best one so far.”
Inaba couldn’t contain her excitement. “It’s so wonderful to see you dancing like that with that confidence and that kind of grit, girl,” she raved, while Hough said, “I feel like we all were waiting for that and you did not disappoint!”
Stiles got her first 8s of the season from Hough, Inaba, and Tonioli, along with a 9 from Buck, for a 33/40 total.
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik — 29/40
After dropping down and receiving a 6 last week, Tatyana Ali was back with a vengeance for her salsa to “Squabble Up” by Kendrick Lamar.
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“Thank you. I saw the improvement,” Inaba confirmed. “You’re so smooth when you dance. But sometimes it’s a little internalized, still, so I want you to keep working on that.”
Hough said he “loves watching” Ali because of her performance skills. “This dance felt a little bit too laid back for a salsa. Perhaps it might have been the song. It might have been a little slow … for what a salsa needs,” he admitted, while also urging Ali to “finish the steps” when she’s dancing. Buck also called it his “favorite dance” of the night.
With 7s from Hough, Tonioli, and Hough, and an 8 from Buck, Ali scored a 29/40.
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson — 22/30
After weeks of being kept in the competition thanks to fan votes, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson returned to the floor with a salsa to “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny.
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“That was so entertaining, so much fun,” Hough gushed, while also praising Carson for her choreography. Tonioli noted that there was “plenty of movement” and “lots of steps” in this routine, and Inaba told Rodriguez that he “brought the goods” with his “hardest routine” yet.
Inaba and Buck scored the dance with 6s, while Hough and Tonioli gave Rodriguez 5s, for a total of 22/30.
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy — 36/40
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy did a paso doble to “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. Buck said he “forget who the pro is” when he watches Dewan and Chmerkovskiy dance.
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“Thrilling from start to finish. Exactly what I want. You had all the Spanish lines,” Tonioli told Dewan. Inaba said the dance was the “first touchdown we’ve had tonight.” She confirmed that “everything about” the performance was incredible, and Hough added, “That paso had more power than a linebacker, it had more precision than a star quarterback, that was a Super Bowl champion performance!”
Dewan earned the highest scores of the night so far with four 9s from the judges, a 36/40.
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson — 33/40
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson did a samba to “Yeah!” by Usher. Johnson really pushed her partner this week in rehearsals so he could be the best dancer possible.
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“You really played it beautifully. It really felt like an event in that dance,” Tonioli said. However, he pointed out that the samba content and moves weren’t quite there.
“If that was a Halftime Show, amazing, but it’s a samba,” Inaba agreed. “I think you need to put more content in your dances, especially because you’re so good. I want to see you challenge yourself a little more.” She also made sure to point out that there was a lift in the routine, much to Johnson’s confusion.
“That was undeniably a fantastic performance,” Hough confirmed. “I hope everyone at home loves it. I have to agree [on the samba content]. But for real, you’re an amazing performer, an amazing dancer.” With three 8s from Inaba, Hough, and Tonioli, and a 9 from Buck, Shum scored a 33/40.
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach — 36/40
The final dance of the night was a salsa to “Hot in Herrre” by Nelly from Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach. “That was like a master class in interpreting the movement,” Inaba said. “The way you take the choreography and you make it into something that is completely, uniquely yours, is so impressive.”
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Hough said he “genuinely gets lost” in Frech’s performances. “You are completely in control at all times. Really, really impressive. The way you move your body…” he added. Tonioli said the routine was “smoldering” and applauded Frech for being able to hit every move.
The dance earned 9s all around, giving Frech and Karagach a 36/40, tying with Dewan at the top of the leaderboard.
Who was eliminated?
After the final commercial break, it was time to get the results. In no particular order, the first five couples announced safe were: Julia/Ezra, Maura/Mark, Jackson/Emma, Harry/Jenna, and Amber/Pasha.
The next four couples called safe were: Ezra/Daniella, Jenna/Val, Tatyana/Jan, and Connor/Rylee. That left Tyler/Sharna and Guillermo/Witney as the last two pairs, although not necessarily the bottom two.
The couple eliminated in Week 5 was…Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+
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